IT SOUNDS like a schoolgirl's dream. Just as a class prepares for exams, two emissaries from the handsome young king walk in, and whisk off a pretty student to become his bride. Traditionalists in Swaziland believe that any girl should feel honoured to be picked as the 34-year-old King Mswati III's latest wife (he already has nine). But Zena Mahlangu's mother disagrees.

This week, the High Court considered a case brought by Lindiwe Dlamini, Ms Mahlangu's mother, who claims that the 18-year-old queen-to-be was kidnapped by the royal flunkies, along with two other girls. It is not clear what Ms Mahlangu herself thinks, as she is shut up incommunicado in a palace. As she is still a minor under Swazi law, her mother, a public-relations manager at the post office, can claim to speak for her.

Taking the king to court would be difficult, since he is above the law, so Ms Dlamini is suing his two emissaries instead. The case has become a rallying point for feminists, who argue that Swazi customary law is a tad reactionary. Women cannot own land, take out loans or enter into contracts. Forced marriages are common. And the chief symbol of Swazi patriarchy is the monarch himself, who selects a new bride each year from among the hundreds of topless virgins who twirl for his pleasure at a ceremony called the reed dance.

One lawsuit does not make a revolution, but the monarchy is under pressure from other quarters, too. In August, the High Court freed Mario Masuku, the main opposition leader, who had spent a year in prison on charges of defaming the king. Incarceration does not seem to have chastened him. Last month, he said it was time for the royal government to be "wiped out". This month, pressure from donors, who help feed tens of thousands of hungry Swazis, helped to persuade the country's normally toothless parliament to reject a plan to spend rather more than the food aid budget on a royal jet.

Perhaps most worrying for the king are his subjects' increasingly loud demands for a new constitution, to replace the one that his father suspended in 1973. When campaigners met in July to propose a modern, democratic system, one of the king's wives had the gall to attend, and to speak approvingly of the concept of the rule of law.

ARE aid donors being callous or clever in Malawi, one of the poorest countries in the world? Just as it faces acute food shortages and appeals for emergency aid for 3m people, foreign donors have pulled the plug on most other types of assistance. Though food help is rolling in, the IMF is refusing to disburse a $55m loan; Britain has suspended its budgetary help; Denmark shut its embassy in January and scrapped all its aid projects. Now the EU has told Malawi to refund euro8m ($8m) given as a road-building grant but "diverted" by the government. Unless the money is returned by August 30th, five years of further EU help worth euro345m will be in jeopardy.

Donors are exasperated with graft, economic negligence, over-borrowing and undemocratic behaviour by Malawi's elected government. With good reason. Ministers and civil servants jet between their offices in Lilongwe and the commercial capital, Blantyre; they are fonder of foreign travel, country retreats, perks and workshops than of reducing poverty. The country's anti-corruption unit said this week that senior officials should go on trial for selling all 160,000 tons of maize from the national grain reserve two years ago, despite warnings of impending famine. Aid workers in Lilongwe suspect well-connected traders of hoarding the grain and selling it at a premium to hungry Malawians. In response, the president, Bakili Muluzi, promptly sacked Leonard Mangulama, his poverty-alleviation minister, on August 6th on suspicion of snapping up grain himself on the cheap.

Since aid is about a third of the government's revenue, concerted foreign pressure is likely to tell, at least on senior politicians. And it should set an example to other poor but corrupt countries in the region. Most foreign aid, aside from emergency food, has been stopped for Zimbabwe. Swaziland may be next: donors have learned that the government is spending some $55m on a presidential jet, while appealing for foreign help to feed its hungry.

But turning off the tap may not be the answer. Many diplomats believe carrots work much better than sticks: "It is impossible to make governments meet conditions other than by rewarding good behaviour," suggests one aid specialist. Emergency food-aid is never tied to good government behaviour. If it were, Zimbabwe's hungry would become a great deal hungrier yet.

Are you feeling hungry already? I am...

p.s. Badawi is not that fella father's name. It is just a glamorous addition, according to Sang Kelembai (or somewhere else that I've read from).

I am not sure what the 'certain actions' are. Hmmmm...something like blaring 'I am rich' and ' ...broken my pot of rice' in the papers and how certain modes of transportations sprung up like mushrooms, while their pay is like peanuts?

"Bloggers spread lies"

Q: But do you think the criticism against you has gone overboard? If previously there were people who disagreed with certain matters the leaders did, the government did, today there seems to be more integrated efforts from a particular group to discredit you. This is most evident in cyberspace. Why is this happening?

A: Seems that these people are captivated by these tools, the SMS, electronic media.

They feel they are free, they cannot be disturbed and they can say whatever they wish to say. They do it (post comments) anonymously.

This sort of freedom had made them resort to such action (of spreading lies and making unfounded allegations).

Even bloggers or those who maintain websites use this opportunity to create stories. Lies after lies are being told. To them, everything is not right, everything is not good.

If I allow myself to be distracted by all this, I will not be able to do any work. That is what they want, that I not focus on my work.

Yeah, maybe the RM 600 million is a lie, the US$ 50 billion is a lie, the yacht and plane are just illusions, robbing people's money from the tolls is good, keeping the toll agreement under OSA is good, corruption, cronyism and nepotism is right and good, your SIL's 'pot of rice' is good and right, 'you are rich' is good...

More spins and pathetic damage controls by The Paper To Boycott™ from Doc Mave:Hardev Kaur Spins

Friday, January 26, 2007

“We were only told about it this morning that they want such comments removed so we will look into these comments and give the plaintiffs an answer on Monday.

“We will decide whether it is indeed sub judice [...] we have not taken a position yet whether we want to leave the comments in the site or remove it,” he told reporters in Wisma Denmark, Kuala Lumpur today.

He stressed the comments were not related to what Ahirudin (Rocky) had written but what his commentators have been saying.

However, several politicians from the Barisan Nasional coalition, including its largest component party, the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO or Umno), that has governed Malaysia since independence have also criticised the ISA. The fifth Prime Minister of Malaysia, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, went on the record in 1988 to state "If we want to save Malaysia and Umno, Dr Mahathir (then Prime Minister) must be removed. He uses draconian laws such as the Internal Security Act to silence his critics." The year before, he had also stated "Laws such as the Internal Security Act have no place in modern Malaysia. It is a draconian and barbaric law." In 2003 when he became Prime Minister, however, Abdullah called the ISA "a necessary law," and argued "We have never misused the Internal Security Act. All those detained under the Internal Security Act are proven threats to society."

Abdullah said Kamaluddin worked overseas and got some contracts with Petronas through open international tender and also bought some companies which he wanted because of their engineering and machine-tooling capabilities.

"He does not build the company, he goes for mergers and acquisitions. That's his style of business. Although many people have come and asked him to go into joint ventures with government-linked companies, he says 'No, I have enough money, I am rich'," said Abdullah.

From 'never involved in local companies' to 'got some contracts with Petronas' and 'I have enough money, I am rich'.

"I did mention that the old man practically smashed Khairy's pot of rice. That's something I am very sad about . He has sold his interest in ECM Libra (an investment bank group). Sold it at a loss. Now he has some debts to settle," said Abdullah.

Just how could 'taking a loan' linked to 'old man smashed pot of rice'? ;)

Abdullah also denied that there was a more aggressive advancement of Islam at the official level and that this was making non-Muslims in the country more uncomfortable.

“No, no – that’s what some believe. But as far as we are concerned, we believe in freedom of worship. This is guaranteed by the (Federal) Constitution. People of other faiths are free to practise their religion in Malaysia, and at the same time we do not marginalise them.

“They participate in the Government because we have a government that shares power among Muslim and non-Muslim – the Hindus, Buddhists and Christians,” he said.

He agreed that some Muslim groups were trying to propagate a more aggressive Islam in Malaysia.

He noted that a political party (PAS) had been talking about setting up an Islamic state, adding that the country had an open electoral system.

“They (PAS) contest the elections. If the non-Muslims want to vote for them it’s up to them,” he added.

From 'groundless accusation' to 'blaming PAS for aggressive Islam'. Nice.

"I chose to keep silence because I do not want to quarrel with Tun in the newspapers. Tun himself had said in a statement he made, he felt hurt because he did not get the information he wanted. He hopes to be informed. If the PM does not speak, let the ministers speak."

10. Q: You are noted for your clean image here and internationally, but there are talks as if your name has been damaged. How can such situation occur?

A: I don't know how it had happened. Such people are trying to belittle me and make wild accusations. Maybe they are doing so because they have a hidden agenda. If I'm accused of being corrupt, please write and tell all. But these people seemed to only know things and nothing else. That is not sincere.

"You want to speak the truth, by all means, I have no problem. You want to tell me something's wrong somewhere, tell me. Tell the leadership the truth. I am happy for people to help me see things that are not doing well," he added.

Some bloggers have been 'telling him the truth'. But guess what happened?

28. Q: The misperception, from a rumour can turn big. What are the steps that should be taken? As a leader you need to think about a powerful formula

A: I felt that if I play football for less that 10 minutes, people should not punish me. My style is different from Dr Mahathir's style. I don't run away from the Vision 2020 in view of the current situation, the escalating oil prices. So I have to choose my style and I am responsible for what I have chosen. People say that I do things as Khairy says. There is no such thing. How can I suffer for so many years in politics until I become the Prime Minister and then surrender my power to him?

KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi wants to run in the next general election and continue leading the country.

“I think so. I think so. There is a lot of work to be done. There is a lot of work. Yes,” the Prime Minister said when asked if he still had the appetite for the job and planned to contest in the next elections, expected in 2009.

From 'Baru 10 minit turun padang main bola sudah mau hukum saya' to 'I still command majority support' to the most recent 'I'll run in next elections'. And not to mention various quotes such as 'I am not a one-term PM' etc. Do you sense something?

IPPT (Clinical Services) Deputy Director, Dr Narazah Mohd Yusoff said the discovery prompted the team to test the Periwinkle flower extracts on animals.

"If our tests on animals proved effective, then we will test the Periwinkle extracts on humans and prove that they can kill cancer cells," she told reporters here Tuesday.

She added studies on the Periwinkle flowers have entered the third year and is led by IPPT Deputy Director of Research, Prof Madya Ishak Mat sponsored by MAKNA (National Cancer Council) which gave a RM300,000 grant.

"Tests on the Perinwinkle's effectiveness on humans will take five years and if found to be successful can be used as medicine to kill cancer cells when treating breast cancer,"

With the name of the principal investigator (P.I.) of the study being so obscure and the bosses who can't wait to get all the glory in the media, let us assume that the PI is Prof. Madya Ishak Mat. Check out his publication track record here.